Mason to Present Shari Arison with the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters

American-Israeli businesswoman and philanthropist Shari Arison will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters at George Mason University’s winter graduation ceremony, where she will also serve as speaker. The ceremony takes place on Thursday, Dec. 19, at 1 p.m. in the Patriot Center.

Arison is the owner of the Arison Group, a global conglomerate of businesses and philanthropic organizations that operate to improve lives worldwide through values-based investments. She directs her businesses to maintain a diversified portfolio of ventures that have moral responsibility at their core.

Repeatedly ranked by Forbes as one of the World’s Most Powerful Women, Arison was also listed second on Forbes World’s Greenest Billionaires.

“Shari Arison’s example of practicing moral responsibility in business is one that we want to share with our students as they begin the next phase of their lives,” says Mason President Ángel Cabrera. “Our vision for our graduates is that they will be engaged and ethically-oriented citizens, committed to building a just society. Shari’s work shows how this can be done.”

“Awareness and education shape our tomorrow. By weaving values into the fabric of everyday life, the students of today can become role model leaders of positive change, for the benefit of people, society and the planet,” Arison says. “Together with George Mason University, we are promoting a unique and practical approach to values-based leadership, where choices and decision-making processes stem from a prism of Doing Good values. I am truly excited to receive this honorary degree.”

George Mason University and Arison have established collaboration for the research and study of the Doing Good Values Model initiated by Arison, focusing on the application of fundamental human values to global business and organizations with a strong global “moral economy,” balancing between people, profits, and planet.

This is one example of Arison’s commitment to making impactful social investments and strategic philanthropy. Earlier this year she published her book “Activate Your Goodness: Transforming the World through Doing Good,” which is a New York Times bestseller.

The Arison Group creates values-driven business investments and social endeavors across 40 countries in 5 continents. Its business arm, Arison Investments, led by Chairman and CEO Efrat Peled, includes companies in the fields of finance, infrastructure and real estate, renewable energy, salt, and water, which create long-term business investments combining substantial financial results with sustainable moral responsibility. The Ted Arison Family Foundation, its philanthropic arm led by its Chairman Jason Arison, comprises philanthropic organizations and vision ventures that are committed to making impactful social investments and strategic philanthropy.